Substrate heat treatment device

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of facilitating maintenance of a drive mechanism or the like for raising and lowering a lift pin in a substrate heat treatment device.SOLUTION: A substrate heat treatment device includes: a hot plate 20 for heat-treating a substrate 9; a substrate lifting mechanism 30 for lifting the substrate 9 above the hot plate 20; a body frame for supporting the hot plate 20 and the substrate lifting mechanism 30; and a pair of slide members that allows the hot plate 20 and the substrate lifting mechanism 30 to be integrally pulled out from a treatment position inside the body frame to a maintenance position. The substrate lifting mechanism 30 includes: a plurality of lift pins 31 inserted into through holes of the hot plate 20; a frame member disposed below the hot plate 20 and supporting the plurality of lift pins 31; a motor 37 located outside the frame member when viewed from top; and a power transmission mechanism for transmitting power of the motor 37 to move the frame member vertically.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The subject matter disclosed herein relates to substrate thermal processing apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, in the processing of various substrates such as glass substrates for display devices, a coating liquid may be applied to the substrate, and then the substrate may be heated by a substrate heat treatment device to volatilize components contained in the coating liquid.

[0003] Furthermore, when heat treatment is performed in a substrate heat treatment apparatus, multiple lift pins may be used to support the substrate in order to transfer the substrate between the substrate and a transfer arm during substrate transport. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a method in which multiple lift pins penetrating a hot plate are supported by a support frame, and the support frame is raised and lowered by a lifting mechanism. The lifting mechanism is composed of a motor, gears, a rack, and the like. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2008-311407 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in Patent Document 1, the lifting mechanism was located directly below the frame member, so when performing maintenance on the lifting mechanism, the worker had to crawl under the frame member to perform the work. In such a case, the restricted movement could slow down the work, reduce accuracy, and reduce the efficiency of the maintenance work.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a technique for facilitating maintenance of a substrate lifting mechanism that lifts and lowers a substrate in a substrate heat treatment apparatus. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, a first aspect comprises a heat treatment plate for heat-treating a substrate, a substrate lifting mechanism for raising and lowering the substrate above the heat treatment plate, a main body frame supporting the heat treatment plate and the substrate lifting mechanism, and a pull-out mechanism that enables the heat treatment plate and the substrate lifting mechanism to be pulled out together from a processing position inside the main body frame to a maintenance position, wherein the substrate lifting mechanism has a plurality of lift pins inserted into through holes in the heat treatment plate, a frame member positioned below the heat treatment plate and supporting the plurality of lift pins, a motor positioned outside the frame member in a top view, and a power transmission mechanism that transmits the power of the motor to raise and lower the frame member.

[0008] A second aspect is the substrate heat treatment apparatus of the first aspect, wherein at least a part of the power transmission mechanism is located outside the frame member in a top view.

[0009] A third aspect is the substrate heat treatment apparatus of the second aspect, wherein the power transmission mechanism raises and lowers the frame member while contacting a side surface of the frame member.

[0010] A fourth aspect is the substrate heat treatment apparatus of the third aspect, wherein the power transmission mechanism further includes a shaft located outside the frame member in a top view, transmitting rotational motion of the motor, a pinion gear connected to the shaft, and a rack located outside the frame member in a top view, connected to the frame member, and meshing with the pinion gear.

[0011] A fifth aspect is the substrate heat treatment apparatus of the fourth aspect, in which the substrate lifting mechanism further includes an elastically deformable elastic connecting member that connects between the power transmission mechanism and the frame member.

[0012] A sixth aspect is a substrate heat treatment apparatus of the fifth aspect, in which the elastic connecting member has a first connecting portion extending horizontally, a second connecting portion connected to the first member and extending vertically, and a frame holding portion connected to the second connecting portion and holding the frame member.

[0013] A seventh aspect is the substrate heat treatment apparatus of the fifth aspect, in which the substrate lifting mechanism further includes a plurality of linear guides that limit the movement direction of the frame member to one direction. Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to the substrate heat treatment apparatus of the first to seventh aspects, since the motor is disposed outside the frame member, the maintenance work of the substrate lifting mechanism can be easily performed. Moreover, the maintenance of the substrate lifting mechanism can be further facilitated by drawing it out to the maintenance position.

[0015] According to the substrate heat treatment apparatus of the second aspect, the maintenance work for the substrate lifting mechanism can be further facilitated.

[0016] According to the substrate heat treatment apparatus of the third aspect, the portion of the substrate lifting mechanism that comes into contact with the frame member is disposed outside the frame member, so that maintenance work for the contact portion can be easily performed.

[0017] According to the substrate heat treatment apparatus of the fourth aspect, since the power transmission mechanism is disposed outside the frame member, the maintenance work for the power transmission mechanism can be further facilitated.

[0018] According to the substrate heat treatment apparatus of the fifth aspect, even if the frame member is deformed due to thermal expansion or the like, the elastic connecting member absorbs the deformation, thereby reducing the load on the power transmission mechanism, and therefore the lift pins can be smoothly raised and lowered.

[0019] According to the substrate heat treatment apparatus of the sixth aspect, the horizontal deformation of the frame member can be absorbed by the elastic connecting members.

[0020] According to the seventh aspect of the substrate heat treatment apparatus, even if the frame member is deformed due to thermal expansion, the elastic member absorbs the deformation, thereby reducing the load on the multiple linear guides. Therefore, the parallelism of the multiple linear guides can be ensured, and the multiple lift pins can be raised and lowered smoothly. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a substrate heat treatment apparatus according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] 2 is a perspective view showing a heat-treating unit 13 of the substrate heat-treating apparatus shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] 3 is a perspective view of the heat-treating unit shown in FIG. 2 as viewed from below. [Figure 4] 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the heat treatment unit shown in FIG. 2. [Diagram 5] 5 is a perspective view showing a substrate lifting mechanism of the thermal processing unit shown in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an interlocking portion shown in FIG. 5. [Figure 7] FIG. 6 is a front view showing the power conversion unit shown in FIG. 5. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a bottom view showing the thermal processing unit at the processing position. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the components described in the embodiment are merely examples, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. In the drawings, the dimensions and numbers of each part may be exaggerated or simplified as necessary for ease of understanding.

[0023] In addition, in the drawings, arrows indicating XYZ orthogonal coordinate axes may be added to facilitate understanding of the positional relationship of each element. In this XYZ coordinate system, the Z axis corresponds to the vertical axis, and the XY plane that intersects with the Z axis at a right angle corresponds to the horizontal plane. The (-Z) direction corresponds to the vertical downward direction. In the following explanation, the vertical upward direction may be simply referred to as "upward" or "upper", and the vertical downward direction may be simply referred to as "downward" or "lower".

[0024] <1. Embodiment> FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a substrate heat treatment apparatus 1 according to an embodiment. The substrate heat treatment apparatus 1 volatilizes a solvent component in a coating liquid such as a photoresist by heating the substrate 9, which is coated on its surface, in a treatment chamber 17 (see FIG. 2) of a heat treatment unit 13. The substrate heat treatment apparatus 1 is used, for example, for the purpose of forming a photoresist film on the surface of the substrate 9. The substrate 9 is, for example, various substrates to be treated for electronic devices, specifically, a semiconductor wafer, a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display or a plasma display, a glass or ceramic substrate for a magnetic disk or an optical disk, a glass substrate for an organic EL display, a glass or silicon substrate for a solar cell, a flexible substrate, a printed circuit board, etc.

[0025] The substrate heat treatment apparatus 1 includes a main body frame 11, a plurality of (five in this embodiment) heat treatment units 13, and a control unit 8. As shown in Fig. 1, the plurality of heat treatment units 13 are stacked in multiple stages along the Z direction. The main body frame 11 supports the heat treatment units 13. The heat treatment units 13 are devices that heat-treat substrates 9.

[0026] The control unit 8 is, for example, a computer, and includes a processor such as a CPU, and a memory that is electrically connected to the processor and stores a program. The processor executes the program stored in the memory to control the operation of each unit in the substrate heat treatment apparatus 1. In this way, various processes such as heat treatment are performed in the substrate heat treatment apparatus 1.

[0027] Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the heat-treating unit 13 of the substrate heat-treating apparatus 1 shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the heat-treating unit 13 shown in Fig. 2 from below. Fig. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the heat-treating unit 13 shown in Fig. 2.

[0028] 2 and 3, the substrate heat treatment apparatus 1 includes a pair of slide members 15 for each heat treatment unit 13. The heat treatment unit 13 is disposed between the pair of slide members 15 in the Y direction. The pair of slide members 15 is a mechanism for moving the heat treatment unit 13 along the X direction. More specifically, the pair of slide members 15 move the heat treatment unit 13 between a treatment position P1 where the heat treatment unit 13 performs heat treatment and a maintenance position P2 where the heat treatment unit 13 is maintained. The treatment position P1 is inside the main body frame 11 in a top view, and the maintenance position P2 is outside (+X side) the main body frame 11 in a top view.

[0029] <Slide member 15> Next, the configuration of slide member 15 will be described. In the following description, the slide member 15 located on the +Y side of the pair of slide members 15 will be described, but the slide member 15 on the -Y side has the same configuration. However, the pair of slide members 15 are disposed symmetrically with respect to an axis of symmetry that passes between them and is parallel to the Z axis.

[0030] The slide member 15 has a guide plate 151, a first plate 153, and a second plate 155. The first plate 153 is located between the guide plate 151 and the second plate 155 in the Y direction.

[0031] <Guide plate 151> The guide plate 151 is fixed to the main body frame 11. The guide plate 151 is a plate-like member extending in the X direction. The guide plate 151 has approximately the same dimensions in the X direction as the processing chamber 17. A guide rail extending in the X direction is provided on a surface of the guide plate 151 facing the first plate 153 (the side surface on the -Y side).

[0032] <Plate 153> The first plate 153 is a plate-like member extending in the X direction. The dimensions of the first plate 153 in the X direction are approximately the same as those of the second plate 155. The first plate 153 is provided so as to be slidable in the X direction relative to the guide plate 151. In detail, a guide block is provided on a surface of the first plate 153 facing the guide plate 151 (a surface on the +Y side). The guide block is movable along a guide rail provided on the guide plate 151. In addition, a guide rail extending in the X direction is provided on a surface of the first plate 153 facing the second plate 155 (a surface on the -Y side).

[0033] The second plate 155 is a plate-like member extending in the X direction. In the X direction, the dimension of the second plate 155 is approximately the same as the dimensions of the guide plate 151 and the first plate 153. The second plate 155 is provided so as to be slidable in the X direction relative to the first plate 153. In detail, a guide block is provided on a surface of the second plate 155 facing the first plate 153 (the surface on the +Y side). The guide block is movable along a guide rail provided on the first plate 153.

[0034] The guide plate 151 is provided with a first stopper (not shown) that limits the movement of the first plate 153 in the X direction. The first stopper is a protrusion provided on the guide plate 151. When the first plate 153 moves in the +X side relative to the guide plate 151 and reaches a predetermined position, the protrusion collides with a part of the first plate 153. This limits the movement of the first plate 153 in the +X side.

[0035] The first plate 153 is provided with a second stopper (not shown) that limits the movement of the second plate 155 in the X direction. The second stopper is, for example, a protrusion that protrudes toward the second plate 155. When the second plate 155 moves in the +X side relative to the first plate 153 and reaches a predetermined position, the protrusion comes into contact with the second plate 155. This limits the movement of the second plate 155 in the +X side.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 4, the thermal processing unit 13 includes a processing chamber 17, a hot plate 20, and a substrate lifting mechanism 30.

[0037] The processing chamber 17 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The processing chamber 17 has a housing 40 and a cover 50. The housing 40 has an opening 41 at an upper portion. The housing 40 accommodates the hot plate 20 inside.

[0038] The lid part 50 is a generally plate-shaped member capable of closing the opening 41 at the top of the housing part 40. The lid part 50 is detachable from the top of the housing part 40. The lid part 50 is attached to the top of the housing part 40 via a seal part 43. The seal part 43 is a member that seals the gap between the housing part 40 and the lid part 50.

[0039] When the cover 50 is removed from the housing 40, the inner surface of the housing 40 is exposed to the outside through the opening 41 of the housing 40. In this state, maintenance work such as part replacement or cleaning inside the housing 40 is performed through the opening 41 of the housing 40.

[0040] The hot plate 20 is accommodated inside the processing chamber 17. The hot plate 20 has a flat upper surface 20a. A heater such as an electric heating wire is built into the hot plate 20. When the heater is driven, the upper surface 20a of the hot plate 20 is heated to a predetermined temperature. As a result, the substrate 9 arranged above and in the vicinity of the upper surface 20a is heated. The heater is controlled by the control unit 8.

[0041] The substrate lifting mechanism 30 raises and lowers the substrate 9 above the hot plate 20. The substrate lifting mechanism 30 has a plurality of lift pins 31 and a lift pin lifting unit 33. The substrate lifting mechanism 30 is supported by a support frame 18 (see FIG. 3). The support frame 18 is a member connected to the processing chamber 17. In other words, the substrate lifting mechanism 30 is connected to the processing chamber 17 via the support frame 18. Note that "connected" includes cases where members are directly connected by contacting each other, as well as cases where members are indirectly connected to each other via another member.

[0042] The multiple lift pins 31 extend in the Z direction and are distributed in the horizontal direction. The multiple lift pins 31 are inserted into several through-holes provided in the bottom wall of the housing part 40 in the processing chamber 17 and in the hot plate 20, and penetrate the bottom wall of the housing part 40 and the hot plate 20. The multiple lift pins 31 are held by the lift pin elevating part 33 in a state where they protrude above the upper surface 20a of the hot plate 20.

[0043] The lift pin lifting unit 33 raises and lowers the multiple lift pins 31 up and down as a unit. The lift pin lifting unit 33 is disposed outside and below the processing chamber 17. The lift pin lifting unit 33 is configured by, for example, a rack-and-pinion mechanism including a motor 37, which will be described later.

[0044] Substrate 9 is supported on the upper ends of multiple lift pins 31. Lift pin lifting unit 33 moves multiple lift pins 31 between a close position where substrate 9 approaches upper surface 20a of hot plate 20 and an upper position that is higher than the close position. The operation of lift pin lifting unit 33 is controlled by control unit 8.

[0045] Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the substrate lifting mechanism 30 of the thermal processing unit 13 shown in Fig. 4. As shown in Fig. 4, the substrate lifting mechanism 30 further includes a frame member 35, a motor 37, and a power transmission mechanism .

[0046] The frame member 35 is a member that supports a plurality of lift pins 31. In a top view, the frame member 35 has a substantially rectangular shape. The frame member 35 is formed, for example, by connecting a plurality of pipes. In a top view, the frame member 35 overlaps with the hot plate 20. However, in a top view, a part of the frame member 35 may protrude from the hot plate 20.

[0047] The frame member 35 is connected to a power transmission mechanism 38. In this example, an outer side surface of the frame member 35 is connected to a power conversion unit 65 of the power transmission mechanism 38.

[0048] The motor 37 converts electric energy into rotational force to supply power for raising and lowering the frame member 35. The motor 37 is located outside the frame member 35 in a top view. In this example, the motor 37 is located near a corner on the +Y side and the -X side of the frame member 35. The motor 37 is connected to a power transmission mechanism 38.

[0049] The power transmission mechanism 38 is a mechanism that transmits the rotational driving force of the motor 37 to raise and lower the frame member 35. The power transmission mechanism 38 has a plurality of shafts 61 (three in this example), a plurality of interlocking parts 63 (two in this example), and a plurality of power conversion parts 65 (four in this example).

[0050] The multiple shafts 61 are connected to the motor 37 via interlocking parts 63, and rotate in conjunction with the driving of the motor 37. The multiple shafts 61 are arranged outside the frame member 35 in a top view. In this example, the multiple shafts 61 are arranged parallel to each of the three sides, that is, one side extending in the X direction and two sides extending in the Y direction, of the four sides of the frame member 35.

[0051] FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the interlocking unit 63 shown in FIG. 5. The interlocking unit 63 is disposed between two shafts 61. The interlocking unit 63 is a mechanism for transmitting the rotation of one shaft 61 to the other shaft 61. The interlocking unit 63 has, for example, two interlocking jigs 631 attached to each end of the two shafts 61. The interlocking jigs 631 rotate together with the shafts 61. Each interlocking jig 631 has a conical surface at the tip. The conical surfaces of the two interlocking jigs 631 are in contact with each other. Therefore, when one interlocking jig 631 rotates, the other interlocking jig 631 rotates due to frictional force. As a result, the two shafts 61 rotate in conjunction with each other. The interlocking jig 631 may be a gear (bevel gear, miter gear, etc.) with teeth formed on the conical surface. The interlocking unit 63 may have any configuration as long as it can rotate the interlocking shafts 61 that intersect with each other in conjunction with each other.

[0052] Returning to Fig. 5, the power conversion unit 65 is a mechanism that converts the rotational motion of the shaft 61 into linear motion in the Z direction. In the example of Fig. 5, two power conversion units 65 are connected to each of the two shafts 61 facing each other in the X direction. In addition, two power conversion units 65 are connected to each of two sides of the frame member 35 extending in the Y direction at the +X side end and the -X side end.

[0053] 7 is a side view showing the power conversion unit 65 shown in FIG. 7, the power conversion unit 65 has a pinion gear 651 and a rack 653. The pinion gear 651 is fixed to the shaft 61 and rotates together with the shaft 61. The rack 653 is fixed to the frame member 35 via an elastic connecting member 39 described later. The rack 653 has a plurality of teeth that mesh with the pinion gear 651 and are arranged at equal intervals in the Z direction. When the pinion gear 651 rotates, the rack 653 moves up and down, and accordingly, the frame member 35 moves up and down.

[0054] The power conversion unit 65 has a shaft support member 655. The shaft support member 655 has, for example, a plate shape, and rotatably supports the shaft 61 via a bearing. The shaft support member 655 is connected to the support frame 18. The power conversion unit 65 also has a linear guide 657. The linear guide 657 is a mechanism that limits the movement direction of the rack 653 and the frame member 35 to one direction (here, the Z direction) so that the rack 653 moves linearly along the Z direction. The linear guide 657 includes a guide rail 657a and a guide block 657b. The guide rail 657a extends along the Z direction, and both ends are fixed to the shaft support member 655. The guide block 657b is a member that slides along the guide rail 657a, and is fixed to a base plate 659 to which the rack 653 is fixed.

[0055] As shown in Fig. 7, the substrate lifting mechanism 30 has an elastic connecting member 39. The elastic connecting member 39 connects between the power transmission mechanism 38 and the frame member 35. The elastic connecting member 39 is elastically deformable. The elastic connecting member 39 is formed of, for example, a metal material. As shown in Fig. 7, the elastic connecting member 39 has a substantially S-shape in a side view taken along the Y direction.

[0056] More specifically, the elastic connecting member 39 has a first connecting portion 391, a second connecting portion 392, and a frame holding portion 393. The first connecting portion 391 has a plate shape extending in the horizontal direction. The first connecting portion 391 is connected to a base plate 659 to which the rack 653 is fixed. The first connecting portion 391 is flexible and deformable in the Z direction. The second connecting portion 392 has a plate shape extending in the Z direction. The second connecting portion 392 is flexible and deformable in the X direction. The frame holding portion 393 is connected to the second connecting portion 392 and holds the frame member 35. The frame holding portion 393 has, for example, a substantially U-shaped shape opening in the X direction in a cross-sectional view. The frame member 35 is fixed inside the frame holding portion 393 via, for example, a bolt or the like.

[0057] Even if the frame member 35 is deformed due to thermal expansion or the like, the elastic connecting member 39 can absorb the deformation, so that excessive load on the power transmission mechanism 38 can be reduced. In particular, in the substrate lifting mechanism 30, the accuracy of the linear movement of the frame member 35 in the Z direction is ensured by a plurality of (four in this example) linear guides 657. For this reason, if an excessive load is applied to the plurality of linear guides 657 due to deformation of the frame member 35, the parallelism of the plurality of guide rails 657a cannot be maintained, and the movement accuracy of the frame member 35 may decrease. Therefore, when the elastic connecting member 39 is provided, even if the frame member 35 is deformed due to thermal expansion or the like, the load applied to the linear guides 657 is reduced, so that the movement accuracy of the frame member 35 can be ensured. Therefore, the plurality of lift pins 31 can be smoothly raised and lowered.

[0058] Furthermore, even if vibration occurs in the power transmission mechanism 38, the vibration is absorbed by the elastic connecting member 39, and the transmission of the vibration to the frame member 35 can be reduced. This allows the frame member 35 to be raised and lowered smoothly.

[0059] 8 is a bottom view showing the heat-treating unit 13 at the processing position P1. As shown in FIG. 8, the motor 37 is located on the -X side of the frame member 35. In this example, when the heat-treating unit 13 is at the processing position P1, the motor 37 is disposed near the -X side end of the main body frame 11. Therefore, even when the processing chamber 17 is at the processing position P1 (i.e., not pulled out from the main body frame 11), it can be easily accessed from outside the -X side of the main body frame 11. Note that, when a cover is attached to the -X side end of the main body frame 11, the motor 37 can be accessed by an operator by making the cover removable.

[0060] 8, the heat treatment unit 13 has an electrical equipment section 131. The electrical equipment section 131 has electronic devices, a power supply device, electronic devices, and wiring such as power lines and signal lines. The electrical equipment section 131 is located on the -X side of the processing chamber 17. The motor 37 is disposed adjacent to the electrical equipment section 131 on the +Y side. With this arrangement, the electrical equipment section 131 and the motor 37 can be accessed from outside the -X side of the main body frame 11, making maintenance easy.

[0061] As described above, the substrate heat treatment apparatus 1 includes the hot plate 20 as a heat treatment plate, the substrate lifting mechanism 30, the main body frame 11, and a pair of slide members 15 as a drawer mechanism. The hot plate 20 heat-treats the substrate 9. The substrate lifting mechanism 30 raises and lowers the substrate 9 above the hot plate 20. The main body frame 11 supports the hot plate 20 and the substrate lifting mechanism 30. The pair of slide members 15 allow the hot plate 20 and the substrate lifting mechanism 30 to be drawn out together from a processing position P1 inside the main body frame 11 to a maintenance position P2. The substrate lifting mechanism 30 includes a plurality of lift pins 31, a frame member 35, a motor 37, and a power transmission mechanism 38. The plurality of lift pins 31 are inserted into the through holes of the hot plate 20. The frame member 35 is disposed below the hot plate 20 and supports the plurality of lift pins 31. The motor 37 is located outside the frame member 35 in a top view. The power transmission mechanism 38 transmits the power of the motor 37 to raise and lower the frame member 35. With this configuration, the motor 37 of the substrate lifting mechanism 30 is disposed outside the frame member 35, which facilitates maintenance work of the substrate lifting mechanism 30. Furthermore, by making it possible to pull out the substrate lifting mechanism 30 from the processing position P1 inside the main body frame 11 to the maintenance position P2, maintenance of the substrate lifting mechanism 30 can be further facilitated.

[0062] Furthermore, at least a portion of the power transmission mechanism 38 is located outside the frame member 35 in a top view. With this configuration, the maintenance work for the substrate lifting mechanism 30 can be further facilitated.

[0063] Moreover, the power transmission mechanism 38 raises and lowers the frame member 35 while contacting the side surface of the frame member 35. According to such a configuration, the portion of the substrate lifting mechanism 30 that contacts the frame member 35 is disposed outside the frame member 35, which makes it easier to perform maintenance work on the contact portion.

[0064] Moreover, the power transmission mechanism 38 further has a shaft 61, a pinion gear 651, and a rack 653. The shaft 61 is located outside the frame member 35 in a top view, and transmits the rotational motion of the motor 37. The pinion gear 651 is connected to the shaft 61. The rack 653 is located outside the frame member 35, connected to the frame member, and meshes with the pinion gear 651. With this configuration, the power transmission mechanism 38 is disposed outside the frame member 35, which makes it even easier to perform maintenance work on the power transmission mechanism 38.

[0065] Furthermore, the substrate lifting mechanism 30 has an elastically deformable elastic connecting member 39 that connects between the power transmission mechanism 38 and the frame member 35. With this configuration, even if the frame member 35 deforms due to thermal expansion or the like, the elastic connecting member 39 can absorb the deformation, so that it is possible to reduce excessive load on the power transmission mechanism 38. Furthermore, even if vibrations occur in the power transmission mechanism 38, the vibrations are absorbed by the elastic connecting member 39, so that it is possible to reduce the transmission of vibrations to the frame member 35. This allows the frame member 35 to be lifted and lowered smoothly.

[0066] Further, the elastic connecting member 39 has a first connecting portion 391, a second connecting portion 392, and a frame holding portion 393. The first connecting portion 391 extends in the horizontal direction. The second connecting portion 392 is connected to the first connecting portion 391, and extends in the Z direction. The frame holding portion 393 is connected to the second connecting portion 392, and holds the frame member 35. With this configuration, the elastic connecting member 39 can absorb deformation of the frame member 35 in the horizontal direction. This can reduce excessive horizontal load on the power transmission mechanism 38.

[0067] Moreover, the substrate lifting mechanism 30 further has a plurality of linear guides 657 that regulate the movement direction of the frame member 35 in the Z direction. With this configuration, even if the frame member 35 is deformed due to thermal expansion or the like, the elastic connecting members 39 absorb the deformation, thereby reducing the load applied to the plurality of linear guides 657. Therefore, the parallelism of the plurality of linear guides 657 can be ensured, and the plurality of lift pins 31 can be smoothly raised and lowered.

[0068] <2. Modification> Although the embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above, and various modifications are possible.

[0069] For example, the substrate heat treatment apparatus 1 is configured to heat the substrate 9 by the hot plate 20. However, the substrate heat treatment apparatus 1 may be configured to cool the substrate 9. In this case, the substrate heat treatment apparatus 1 may include a heat treatment plate (cool plate) without a heater, or a heat treatment plate (cool plate) with a cooling mechanism such as a cooling water flow path or a Peltier element, instead of the hot plate 20. The treatment chamber 17 may not be provided.

[0070] The elastic connecting member 39 is formed in a leaf spring shape, but the shape of the elastic connecting member 39 is not limited to this shape. For example, the elastic connecting member 39 may have a coil spring.

[0071] Although the present invention has been described in detail, the above description is merely illustrative in all respects, and the present invention is not limited thereto. It is understood that countless variations not illustrated can be envisioned without departing from the scope of the present invention. The configurations described in the above embodiments and variations can be appropriately combined or omitted as long as they are not mutually contradictory. [Explanation of symbols]

[0072] 1. Substrate heat treatment equipment 9 Substrate 11 Main frame 15 Slide member (drawer mechanism) 17 Processing chamber 20 Hot plate (heat treatment plate) 30 Substrate lifting mechanism 31 Lift pin 35 Frame members 37 Motor 38 Power transmission mechanism 39 Elastic connecting member 61 Shaft 391 1st connection part 392 2nd connection part 393 Frame holder 651 Pinion gear 653 Rack 657 Linear Guide

Claims

1. a heat treatment plate for heat treating the substrate; a substrate lifting mechanism for lifting and lowering a substrate above the heat treatment plate; a main body frame supporting the heat treatment plate and the substrate lifting mechanism; a drawer mechanism for drawing out the heat-treating plate and the substrate lifting mechanism together from a treatment position inside the main body frame to a maintenance position; Equipped with The substrate lifting mechanism includes: A plurality of lift pins inserted into the through holes of the heat treatment plate; a frame member disposed below the heat treatment plate and supporting the lift pins; a motor located outside the frame member when viewed from above; a power transmission mechanism that transmits the power of the motor to raise and lower the frame member; A substrate heat treatment apparatus comprising:

2. 2. The substrate heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1, At least a portion of the power transmission mechanism is located outside the frame member when viewed from above.

3. 3. The substrate heat treatment apparatus according to claim 2, The power transmission mechanism raises and lowers the frame member while contacting a side surface of the frame member.

4. 4. The substrate heat treatment apparatus according to claim 3, The power transmission mechanism includes: a shaft that is located outside the frame member in a top view and transmits a rotational motion of the motor; A pinion gear connected to the shaft; a rack located outside the frame member in a top view, connected to the frame member, and meshing with the pinion gear; The substrate heat treatment apparatus further comprises:

5. 5. The substrate heat treatment apparatus according to claim 4, The substrate lifting mechanism further includes an elastically deformable elastic connecting member that connects between the power transmission mechanism and the frame member.

6. 6. The substrate heat treatment apparatus according to claim 5, The elastic connecting member is A first connecting portion extending in a horizontal direction; a second connecting portion connected to the first member and extending in a vertical direction; a frame holding portion connected to the second connecting portion and holding the frame member; A substrate heat treatment apparatus comprising:

7. 6. The substrate heat treatment apparatus according to claim 5, The substrate lifting mechanism further includes a plurality of linear guides that limit the movement direction of the frame member to one direction.

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